1. Field of the Invention
‘Patriot’ bermudagrass is a clonally propagated F1 hybrid plant from a cross of Cynodon dactylon var. dactylon by C. transvaalensis. The cultivar will be marketed as Certified class sod and/or Certified class sprigs.
Background of the Invention:
The maternal parent of ‘Patriot’ was ‘Tifton 10’ bermudagrass, Cynodon dactylon var. dactylon. The pollen parent of ‘Patriot’ was a selected plant of Cynodon transvaalensis designated by its field nursery location identity as 4200 TN 26-8. ‘Tifton 10’ is a commercial cultivar that differs from most C. dactylon plants in having 54 chromosomes (hexaploid; 2n=6x=54) compared to the usual 36 chromosomes (tetraploid; 2n=4x=36) and having a darker green foliage color (Hanna, et al., 1990). The C. transvaalensis pollen parent has 18 chromosomes (diploid; 2n=2x=18). ‘Patriot’ is a tetraploid with 2n=4x=36 chromosomes, presumably having inherited 27 chromosomes (3 genomes) from ‘Tifton 10’ and 9 chromosomes (1 genome) from the C. transvaalensis parent.
The cross between ‘Tifton 10’ and C. transvaalensis “4200 TN 26-8” was made in 1992. Seeds from this cross and crosses between other parent plants were germinated in late winter 1993 and the seedlings individually planted in greenhouse pots. The potted plants were transplanted to a field screening nursery in spring 1993 as spaced (3 meter centers) plants. ‘Patriot’ was first vegetatively propagated in late 1994. The vegatative propagation occurred in a greenhouse on the Agronomy Farm, Oklahoma State University and was selected in late 1994 for advancement to more comprehensive testing including testing in replicated experiments through time and space to measure adaptation and performance characteristics. At the time of its first selection in 1994 it was identified as “OKC 18-4” and evaluated under this designation. ‘Patriot’ has been clonally propagated through many generations since 1994 without any indication of genetic change. Advanced generation clonal plants appear identical to the original plant in morphological phenotype and in genetic characteristics that have been measured.